Heartwood

By: James Lee Burke

Narrated by: Will Patton

Few writers in America today combine James Lee Burke's lush prose, cracking story lines, and tremendous sense of history and landscape. In Cimarron Rose, longtime fans of the Dave Robicheaux series found that the struggles of Texas defense attorney Billy Bob Holland show Burke at his best in exploring classic American themes -- the sometimes subtle, often violent strains between the haves and the have-nots; the collision of past and present; the inequities in the criminal justice system.
Heartwood is a kind of tree that grows in layers. And as Billy Bob's grandfather once told him, you do well in life by keeping the roots in a clear stream and not letting anyone taint the water for you. But in Holland's dusty little hometown of Deaf Smith, in the hill country north of Austin, local kingpin Earl Deitrich has made a fortune running roughshod and tainting anyone who stands in his way. Billy Bob has problems with Deitrich and his shamelessly callous demeanor, but can't shake the legacy of his passion for Deitrich's "heartbreak-beautiful" wife, Peggy Jean.
When Holland takes on the defense of Wilbur Pickett -- a man accused of stealing an heirloom and three hundred thousand dollars in bonds from Deitrich's office -- he finds himself up against not Earl's power and influence, but also a past Billy Bob can't will away. A wonderfully realized novel, rich in Texas atmosphere and lore, and a dazzling portrait of the deadly consequences of self-delusion, Heartwood could only have been written by James Lee Burke, a writer in expert command of his craft.©1999 James Lee Burke, All Rights Reserved; (P)1999 Simon & Schuster, Inc., All Rights Reserved. AUDIOWORKS is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

love will paton but abridged versions are annoying

Would you try another book from James Lee Burke and/or Will Patton?

love will patton and jim burke

Who was your favorite character and why?

pete

What about Will Patton’s performance did you like?

hes my favorite preformer of audiobooks

Was Heartwood worth the listening time?

yes

Any additional comments?

so darn annoying waiting for the music to end in between each chapter, i would have preferred the unabridged version but that one is preformed by Tom Stechschulte who does a terrible southern accent. its worth the wait in between chapters just tp have Will Pattons awesome voice

Great Listen

I never get tired of this authors work or the narrators interpretation, always a homerun

Not Burke's best, but a good listen.

Will Patton's strong narration helps carry the book. Perhaps the unabridged version is better. Still, it's a Burke book, and his less than best is still pretty good. A lot of action, a quick pace, mean characters with just enough humanity so that a reader can feel some remorse for their passing, wonderful dialog, which Burke know how to end on deft note, all the good things Burke regularly delivers are here. So buy it; you'll not be sorry you did.

Overproduced and Overabridged

There is little left of substance after the abridgement. Insipid blues guitar pieces separate the set pieces, as well as overwrought, inconsistently used sound effect, give this an incredibly amateurish feel. This is particularly tragic given the excellence of Burke's writing and Patton's narration. The producer and editor should have been horsewhipped.

Excellent narration

I really didn't care for the music. Will Patton is fantastic. I don't care for abridged books that much.